Vadodara (India) (AFP) – In her palace in western India, the “queen” of Baroda receives her evening guests in sparkling dresses, on a bed of rose petals or by torchlight. In the morning, she once again becomes a businesswoman responsible for the heritage of her ancestors.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 07:15

“We had to adapt,” confides Radhikaraje Gaekwad, 48, in his rich castle in Vadodara, in the state of Gujarat, to describe the reconversion of the royal families who reigned over the country.

“My job has always been to make changes that I consider to be progress for society,” continues the heiress, who strives to preserve the works of art of the maharajas.

“A glimpse of what remains of the past (...) can bring back a sense of identity and pride in our roots and help us face the future,” she pleads.

Under the British Empire, more than 565 states or territories – 40% of India's total land area – remained ruled by a royal or princely family. That of Baroda, today Vadodara, was one of the most powerful.

All these crowned heads merged into independent India in 1947. But their influence did not disappear. It even continues to be coveted by current leaders.

“This cultural capital was used by the descendants of the maharajas of yesteryear to embrace a political career,” explains historian Manu S. Pillai.

In power since 2014, Hindu ultranationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi was no exception to the rule, enlisting representatives of these faded dynasties into the service of his party.

"Icons"

Among the "war prizes" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, heir to the Gwalior dynasty, or the vice-chief executive of the state of Rajasthan (west) Diya Kumari, from the royal family of Jaipur.

“It’s the quest for heroes,” describes Mr. Pillai. “The nationalist narrative has become popular (...) the Hindu right wants to enlist cultural icons under its banner.”

Last year, the head of government laid the first stone of a “royal lands museum”.

The selected site, near Vadodara, adjoins the tallest statue in the world (182 m) of the statesman Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950), honored by Narendra Modi for having contributed to integrating the royal domains into the independent Indian state.

Nearly eighty years later, the place of these blood princes in modern India divides opinion.

“I hold the royal families in high esteem,” says Arti Shukla, who came to admire the statue as a neighbor. “They certainly played a role in the past, but we no longer need them,” says Nishant Kulkarni, a bank employee in Bombay (west).

Beyond politics, many maharajas take on the task of perpetuating traditions.

“The royal families are the guardians of our heritage,” says Siddhaant Mohta, who at the head of the Sopaan company organizes exhibitions in the country's palaces and royal buildings.

“Social connection”

Other princes use their prestige to open doors. Raseshwari Rajya Laxmi thus assures that his title of "maharani" of Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) greatly facilitated the twinning of his city with the medieval French city of Carcassonne.

“We share our ideas on the promotion and preservation of our cultures,” he rejoices.

The "queen" of Baroda, Radhikaraje Gaekwad, defends social inclusion by supporting crafts and customs, even the most modern: she has just joined the opening of a transgender café.

His father Ranjitsinh Jhala, 87, chose another path. Born in 1939 into the ruling Wankaner family, he converted his passion for tiger hunting into participating, as a civil servant, in the implementation of wildlife protection laws.

“If this is what the princes leave behind, it will more than compensate (the tigers) they killed,” the octogenarian boasts.

Heiress to the Bhanja dynasty, in the state of Odisha (east), thirty-year-old Akshita Bhanj Deo transformed the family palace into a hotel and perpetuates the social role of the "royals" of yesteryear at the head of a foundation which helps marginalized populations.

“Many royal families take on a role in creating and maintaining social bonds,” she says, “we are the bards and storytellers who extend this role from the past into the future.”

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.